Greetings one final time from St. Vincent and the Grenadines!!!!!!!!!!!!
We have just returned to St. Vincent after spending 10 spectacular days in beautiful Bequia...where we pulled off a super successful week of camp for kids ages 3-12! The week ended great, with two awesome final days at camp....the Large Group activities were a particular success....Arielle and Breanna's "Talent Show" was a hit, and Sarah's team of "Aliens" pulled off the win for best performance due to their stellar dance moves. Friday's "Fashion Show" was fun and hilarious as well....check out the pictures!!!!
Friday night we celebrated the end of camp with dinner out at a local place called "Coco's Place" which was beautiful and overlooked the water! We were treated to delicious conch & chicken dishes and a steel pan performance from Bequia's own Elvis (he touched upon the catalogues of Michael Jackson and Bob Marley).
On Saturday the leaders gave students the opportunity to choose their own adventures for the day. We basked in the sun, swam allllllllll day at Lower Bay beach, and had a truly American lunch of burgers, fries and cokes...a nice treat!!! After dinner, we brought down the house at a local joint named "Keegans" with our mean Karaoke skills!!!
Sunday was our day on the 90-foot schooner the "Friendship Rose" and, despite some minor seasickness, it was one of the best days of the program by far!! Once we reached the Tobago Cays we were greeted by dozens of sea turtles as we snorkeled our way to the beach. Before leaving, a GIANT manta ray came to wish us well!!! We then snorkeled around horseshoe reef...filled with hundreds of gorgeous, colorful, interesting schools of fish!! We had a delightful meal of pizza for dinner and headed to bed a bit early!
Yesterday we went to the turtle sanctuary and got a chance to help out a bit by cleaning some of the rescued turtles that are being held at the sanctuary before they are released back into the ocean. We then headed to town for a bit of souvenir shopping....all of the girls got at least one beaded braid, and are now truly rocking the Vincy-style!!!
As this is probably our last blog entry...we hope that everyone has enjoyed reading.....we are not quite ready to leave the sandy beaches, friendly people, adorable children and laid-back lifestyle.....BUT we are excited to see friends and family and take what we have all learned about ourselves and the world on this trip and incorporate it into our lives outside of the islands....See you all soon!!!
-Kate, Adam and the entire Bridge Caribbean 2009 crew
p.s. We FINALLY received all the mail!!!!!!
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Greetings from Bequia
Happy Wednesday! Student designed and led Camp Windsor Mountain 2.0 is now at it's half-way point and it's pretty incredible how smooth everything has become with the organization and energy level at camp. Each student seems to have a natural ability for working with children and have only further developed a knack for working with this population!!! We are so psyched to witness and experience this wonderful camp designed by this unique group of students!
Last night we had evening meeting on the beach, while looking up at the stars and counting each beautiful shooting star as it soared across the sky. Wading in the water, we were able to wave around our hands and feet and see HUNDREDS of bioluminesence (tiny micro-organisms that glow brightly when contacted) -it was beautiful! We just finished a delicious lunch of salted fish, plantains and coconut dumplings! Island life is really treating us well, not sure if we will be ready to leave in just about 8 days now!!!
Check out the new pictures!
For this week's "Student notes" we decided to let each student write out the accomplishments and contributions of their FELLOW group members. At the beginning of the program, each student was encouraged to serve as a "guardian angel" for another member of the group by drawing names out of a hat. For the past few weeks, students have been "looking after" their chosen person, and performing random acts of kindness for this person. So, enjoy these student notes....generated by another student on the program:
Arielle 'Furfy' Vallet (written by Lila): Ari has had a great week! In our Bequia camp, she's already taught dancing, singing, gladiator art (throwing paint-filled balloons) and a make-up class. This week, Ari has been a crucial part of our group discussions by speaking up and helping the group to compromise and make decisions. After trying Nutella for the first time this trip, Ari vows to eat it every day when she gets home! Lastly, Ari LOVES swimming everyday and is always up for an impromptu game of mafia!
Celeste 'Celestial Navigation' Mittman (written by Sarah): Celeste is an amazing girl with a much-needed sense of humor. Not only is her hilarity a great mood-lightener for the whole group, she's also incredible with the kids at camp. Her kickball class went stupendously and we're sure she'll do great the rest of the week. She loves eating raw pasta and is excited to make the rest of the trip the best ever!!
David 'Stinky foot' Kahn (written by Romi): Yesterday at camp David taught one of his Windsor Mountain favorites---gladiator art (making art using balloons full of paint)!! The kids were very enthusiastic and David seemed to be having a great time...he always seems to choose more adventurous classes to teach, such as Football Frisbee! During our group MMT, David established himself as a leader and a friend to everyone in the group and the community. He enjoys meeting the locals and exploring the culture. As an added bonus, he's always happy to DJ during our meal tmes, especially when he can play an endless amount of Bob Dylan's hits.
Theodore 'Sea Glasses' Klein (written by Jahlil): Theo aka "Grizzly" aka "The Man" is always the first person up and ready to entertain the kids at camp with his very popular ball or Frisbee games. When the campers enter the field, they are always excited to join a game of "ice-man" that he leads really well. At the apartment, Theo is always helping out in the kitchen whenever a meal is being made and everyone is always excited to have some of his homemade lemonade (that he makes from the lemons in our yard!). Theo is certainly a special member of the group.
Lila 'Lalaaarftumpyitylkerfecta' Rosenman (written by Celeste): Lila Roseman...what a beautiful name. I am so honored to be her guardian angel; but such a privilege comes with great responsibility. We have all been basking in Lila's glory and she has contributed so much to our group. Tonight for example, she made us the most amazing dinner and dessert we have had all trip! Lila has been learning a lot on this trip. She learned how to run a successful camp Olympics for 45+ kids all by herself. Lila is a gift to the group and has been thriving and growing from Bridge Caribbean.
Sarafina MacFadden (written by Theo): This week Sarah has been extremely energetic, helpful and just overall great to be around. She always offers her help and is the first to step up when it is needed. Her positive attitude and ever vital character has really brought a lot to the group; not only during group activities but at camp. She demonstrates intelligence and self confidence with her crafty language and cool clothing style. Not only has Sarah brought a lot to the camp but also to the community with a friendly face and a determined mindset. I feel that she is vital to the group.
Breanna 'Moguls' Page (written by David): Breanna has helped out with nearly everything during the past week while maintaining a positive attitude. She's great helping kids make bracelets in her classes and getting the attention of many children. LEADER NOTE: Breanna has taken on a huge leadership role at camp and we have especially been impressed by her ability to psych up her teams during whole-camp events!! YELLOW TEAM, YELLOW TEAM, YELLOW TEAM!!!
Romi 'Romils' Maletz (written by Arielle): Romi has added a lot of positive aspects to the group. Romi is very good with kids and always has a good time with them. Her cheerful sense of humor cheered the group up on numerous occasions. And all together she is a great asset to the group and to the Camp!
Jahlil 'Jacques Cousteau' Davis-Green (written by Breanna): JAHLILLLLLL is a very helpful person on this trip. He is always the first to get up to clean, so often that the counselors must yell at him to not clean. He is also one of the nicest people on this trip. He is extremely patient and also kind. I know that if I am having a bad day that I can come and talk to him. He teaches almost all the sports classes which is a big help considering the fact that I don't like to run. He is also amazing at mediating problems with the children. I don't know what this trip would be like without him. He is a vital part of this group!!
Last night we had evening meeting on the beach, while looking up at the stars and counting each beautiful shooting star as it soared across the sky. Wading in the water, we were able to wave around our hands and feet and see HUNDREDS of bioluminesence (tiny micro-organisms that glow brightly when contacted) -it was beautiful! We just finished a delicious lunch of salted fish, plantains and coconut dumplings! Island life is really treating us well, not sure if we will be ready to leave in just about 8 days now!!!
Check out the new pictures!
For this week's "Student notes" we decided to let each student write out the accomplishments and contributions of their FELLOW group members. At the beginning of the program, each student was encouraged to serve as a "guardian angel" for another member of the group by drawing names out of a hat. For the past few weeks, students have been "looking after" their chosen person, and performing random acts of kindness for this person. So, enjoy these student notes....generated by another student on the program:
Arielle 'Furfy' Vallet (written by Lila): Ari has had a great week! In our Bequia camp, she's already taught dancing, singing, gladiator art (throwing paint-filled balloons) and a make-up class. This week, Ari has been a crucial part of our group discussions by speaking up and helping the group to compromise and make decisions. After trying Nutella for the first time this trip, Ari vows to eat it every day when she gets home! Lastly, Ari LOVES swimming everyday and is always up for an impromptu game of mafia!
Celeste 'Celestial Navigation' Mittman (written by Sarah): Celeste is an amazing girl with a much-needed sense of humor. Not only is her hilarity a great mood-lightener for the whole group, she's also incredible with the kids at camp. Her kickball class went stupendously and we're sure she'll do great the rest of the week. She loves eating raw pasta and is excited to make the rest of the trip the best ever!!
David 'Stinky foot' Kahn (written by Romi): Yesterday at camp David taught one of his Windsor Mountain favorites---gladiator art (making art using balloons full of paint)!! The kids were very enthusiastic and David seemed to be having a great time...he always seems to choose more adventurous classes to teach, such as Football Frisbee! During our group MMT, David established himself as a leader and a friend to everyone in the group and the community. He enjoys meeting the locals and exploring the culture. As an added bonus, he's always happy to DJ during our meal tmes, especially when he can play an endless amount of Bob Dylan's hits.
Theodore 'Sea Glasses' Klein (written by Jahlil): Theo aka "Grizzly" aka "The Man" is always the first person up and ready to entertain the kids at camp with his very popular ball or Frisbee games. When the campers enter the field, they are always excited to join a game of "ice-man" that he leads really well. At the apartment, Theo is always helping out in the kitchen whenever a meal is being made and everyone is always excited to have some of his homemade lemonade (that he makes from the lemons in our yard!). Theo is certainly a special member of the group.
Lila 'Lalaaarftumpyitylkerfecta' Rosenman (written by Celeste): Lila Roseman...what a beautiful name. I am so honored to be her guardian angel; but such a privilege comes with great responsibility. We have all been basking in Lila's glory and she has contributed so much to our group. Tonight for example, she made us the most amazing dinner and dessert we have had all trip! Lila has been learning a lot on this trip. She learned how to run a successful camp Olympics for 45+ kids all by herself. Lila is a gift to the group and has been thriving and growing from Bridge Caribbean.
Sarafina MacFadden (written by Theo): This week Sarah has been extremely energetic, helpful and just overall great to be around. She always offers her help and is the first to step up when it is needed. Her positive attitude and ever vital character has really brought a lot to the group; not only during group activities but at camp. She demonstrates intelligence and self confidence with her crafty language and cool clothing style. Not only has Sarah brought a lot to the camp but also to the community with a friendly face and a determined mindset. I feel that she is vital to the group.
Breanna 'Moguls' Page (written by David): Breanna has helped out with nearly everything during the past week while maintaining a positive attitude. She's great helping kids make bracelets in her classes and getting the attention of many children. LEADER NOTE: Breanna has taken on a huge leadership role at camp and we have especially been impressed by her ability to psych up her teams during whole-camp events!! YELLOW TEAM, YELLOW TEAM, YELLOW TEAM!!!
Romi 'Romils' Maletz (written by Arielle): Romi has added a lot of positive aspects to the group. Romi is very good with kids and always has a good time with them. Her cheerful sense of humor cheered the group up on numerous occasions. And all together she is a great asset to the group and to the Camp!
Jahlil 'Jacques Cousteau' Davis-Green (written by Breanna): JAHLILLLLLL is a very helpful person on this trip. He is always the first to get up to clean, so often that the counselors must yell at him to not clean. He is also one of the nicest people on this trip. He is extremely patient and also kind. I know that if I am having a bad day that I can come and talk to him. He teaches almost all the sports classes which is a big help considering the fact that I don't like to run. He is also amazing at mediating problems with the children. I don't know what this trip would be like without him. He is a vital part of this group!!
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Made it to Bequia
Greetings friends and family of the crew in Bequia...Yes indeed, everything is IRIE here and we are really getting used to the Bequia lifestyle. We are staying in 2 apartments (small homes) about 100 yards from gorgeous Lower Bay Beach. We landed on the welcoming shores of Bequia on Saturday eve, got settled in and enjoyed our first REAL Maslow day of our program (Sunday, Lazy Sunday)...the day was spent eating some awesome student-inspired meals: pancakes for brekkie, grilled cheese and tomato soup for lunch, and a killer dinner consisting of Sarah's now-famous peanut butter/soy sauce pasta with veggies and about 40 whole-fried Robin Fish seasoned with curry, pepper, ginger and rosemary...When we weren't eating we spent the day taking in the majestic Caribbean Sea and had a sand castle competition. No matter what your student says, Adam and Kate's "Sandshake" sculpture was a sure winner!!!
Today we had our first day of Bequia Camp or Camp Windsor Mountain 2.0 with about fifty 3-10 year-olds. The counselors are old pros by now and had an excellent first day. Some highlights were Romi and Celeste's tower-building class (tape stuff together into a tower and knock it down), Breanna and Lila's chalk-mural people, Sarah and Arielle's singing expedition and a HUGE group game of Sharks and Minnows in the pouring rain!!! Stay tuned for some more Bequia Magic!!
There are also some new pictures added to the ones in the right hand column of this blog. Remember, you can click on the picture to see a larger view of them all.
Today we had our first day of Bequia Camp or Camp Windsor Mountain 2.0 with about fifty 3-10 year-olds. The counselors are old pros by now and had an excellent first day. Some highlights were Romi and Celeste's tower-building class (tape stuff together into a tower and knock it down), Breanna and Lila's chalk-mural people, Sarah and Arielle's singing expedition and a HUGE group game of Sharks and Minnows in the pouring rain!!! Stay tuned for some more Bequia Magic!!
There are also some new pictures added to the ones in the right hand column of this blog. Remember, you can click on the picture to see a larger view of them all.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Farewell St. Vincent
Greetings from St.Vincent (land of the infamous "Shark Bake Sandwich" yup, shark!) We wanted to update everyone and let you all know that Camp Windsor Mountain 1.0 was a HUGE success! We finished our last day of camp Friday...and what wonderfulweek it was!!! We had no idea how many local kids to expect, but we consistantly had about 100 campers each day (Thursday reached 145!!!) ! We (Kate and Adam) are just thrilled and unbelievably proud of how well this group of students pulled off such an amazing camp (from recruitment to planning & supply shopping to implementing and teaching great classes! What a feat!)
Some of the highlights of this week's camp were:
The Fashion Show Large Group Activity (Breanna and Theo tied for most fabulous outfit designed by a small group of campers)
Romi & Lila's make your own coconut people class was very well-run (& super popular)
Celeste & Jahlil's Kickball/Baseball classes were a HUGE hit, and local kids were thrilled to learn a new exciting game!
Sarah & David are surely our EXPERT game leaders. They taught the campers tons of tag games, relay races and silly ice-breakers.
Arielle's "Feminine side" class was also very well attended...local girls (and boys!) exitedly painted their faces and toenails with the help of Ari's endless enthusiasm!
We were able to make it to the beach a few times this week as well, which has been a great way to cool off and decompress after some crazy/fun days! We also have been eating some wonderful meals down at "Mrs. Black's Shop"....heaping plates of chicken & rice for under $2 USD...!! Visiting the Owia salt ponds was another wonderful experience for all...swimming and hanging out in the salt pools and climbing to the top of a natural rock formation that seperated the salt ponds from the Atlantic ocean was surely filled with "magic moments"
Friday night, the students organized an incredible final banquet to culminate our time on St. Vincent. THey invited everyone we worked closely with over the past few weeks as a thank you...and we spent all night eating and having great conversations with our guests/new friends. we will surely miss St.Vincent and all the amazing people we met there. Today, we said goodbye to our host family, the Cupids..and some tears were shed! But now.............off to BEQUIA!!!
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Important Update
Greetings from Windsor Mountain Student Travel,
We recently had a check in with the group leaders and the trip could not be going better! Everyone is having a great time and the mini Windsor Mountain Friendship Camp is packed with local kids each day.
There are two important updates:
· We have changed the student calls home to Sunday 7/19 between 12 and 2pm EST. The 25th was not going to work well for the group. We hope this does not inconvenience anyone. So the remaining two phone calls will be 7/19 and 7/29.
· The mail has been very slow in the Caribbean and they haven’t received any letters yet. They will keep checking and hope to receive your mail soon. However, the leaders recommend sending any last pieces of mail in the next couple days. If they are sent much later, the group may be home before those last pieces of mail arrive in St. Vincent.
If you have any questions about these updates or the program in general, please feel free to email me: Neesa@WindsorMountain.org or call 603-478-3166.
We recently had a check in with the group leaders and the trip could not be going better! Everyone is having a great time and the mini Windsor Mountain Friendship Camp is packed with local kids each day.
There are two important updates:
· We have changed the student calls home to Sunday 7/19 between 12 and 2pm EST. The 25th was not going to work well for the group. We hope this does not inconvenience anyone. So the remaining two phone calls will be 7/19 and 7/29.
· The mail has been very slow in the Caribbean and they haven’t received any letters yet. They will keep checking and hope to receive your mail soon. However, the leaders recommend sending any last pieces of mail in the next couple days. If they are sent much later, the group may be home before those last pieces of mail arrive in St. Vincent.
If you have any questions about these updates or the program in general, please feel free to email me: Neesa@WindsorMountain.org or call 603-478-3166.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
New Pictures!
The Bridge Caribbean group was also able to send us some new pictures! They have been put into the slideshow in the righthand column. You can click on the picutre to view a larger version of all of them.
Week Two Update!
Hello parents and friends!!! It has been an incredible week in the Southern Caribbean! When we last left off we were in the middle of a huge day of student-led camp planning last Wednesday so here is a look at what’s been happening with the group in Vincy-land.
Wednesday was a full day of camp planning (with some meals and breaks mixed in). The kids did an awesome job organizing the camp activities and schedule and started designing the classes that they wanted to teach. The group organized a community capture the flag game at Antwine Level (our future camp location) and taught several locals how to play. The Red team claims to have won.
Thursday we headed up the Leeward side of the island. First, we visited Wallilabou beach, where the movie, Pirates of the Caribbean was filmed! Much of the set is open for display, unfortunately Captain Jack Sparrow was nowhere to be found, but students sure got to experience Movie Magic first hand! We then headed up to Dark View falls with two of our local friends Amora and Somora. There are two beautiful waterfalls at Dark View (both about 80 feet high) and set in a lush rainforest. Students got to swim in both waterfalls and get a great water massage while standing underneath the falls! For dinner, we were all invited at Amora & Somora’s house in Barraoulie and were treated for a large, delicious, Vincy-style dinner. Most students said that this meal was their favorite of the trip so far! After dinner, we went down to the dock where many locals hang out and watch the sunset, what an experience!
Friday was camp planning and shopping day! Students were given a budget for camp supplies and hit the streets of Kingstown in search of glitter, sports balls, and water balloons. We ate a WONDERFUL meal at the best little restaurant in town: BICKLES! (Be sure to ask your students about all the glory that is Bickles when they return home to you!) Students were also given time to do some personal shopping where they searched for string vests, rasta flip flops and local crafts. It was beach time again (this group LOVES the beach!) before heading back to the Cupids house to make phone calls home and cook a delicious meal of cheesy pasta & broccoli!
Saturday was a very meaningful day for the group…..we conquered La Soufriere volcano!!!! (2nd highest peak in all of the Caribbean) Jahlil, Theo & Breanna helped to set an awesome pace for the group and we hiked to the top in record time. Many students didn’t think they would be able to handle the hike, but were so proud of themselves when we made it! We had a group “jelly roll” hug at the top of the crater to celebrate our success. We took our time hiking down the volcano and paused for awhile on some flat rocks to chat & play some silly games. We think everyone got a bit of a sugar high from all the gorp we made…because it wasn’t long before Theo and Celeste were “monkey bowling” and others seemed to be lost in delirium (in a good way!) After the hike we went to take a shower at our favorite spot…..the beach. The waves were big and spirits were high as we finished out our challenging day getting tossed around in the waves at Black Point beach.
Sunday was another “Maslow’s day” and we took our time getting up before church from 10:30 to 12:30. The highlight of our second local church experience was when Arielle got up in front of the entire church community. She sang the song ‘Hallelujah’ and amazed the community with her powerful voice and emotional rendition of this classic song. We were all very proud. After church we made a delicious brunch of French Toast, Omelettes and fruit. The group took the initiative to do a super clean-up during the afternoon to make sure that our stay in the Cupids home is as low-impact as possible. The rest of the day was spent putting the finishing touches on Camp Planning!! For dinner Lila prepared an incredible veggie lasagna with eggplant, mushrooms, and onions.
Monday, the FIRST DAY OF CAMP!!! We got up super early (6am) and had our morning meditation and yoga practice before heading up to Antwine Level where we are running our camp. Antwine Level is a huge playing field with concrete bleachers to provide a little shade from the intense Caribbean Sun. Camp was supposed to begin at 8:30 but we are working on Caribbean time here…kids trickled in for a while and Theo and David played football with them on the field while Romi and Celeste drew with other kids. At about 9am kids started pouring into Camp…we think there were about 80 kids the first day, double the number we expected (looks like our students did some serious advertising). Camp was organized into 3 class periods, the last period being a LGA (large group activity) and the first 2 periods have 3 options each, 1 Sport, 1 arts and crafts, and 1 fun n’ games activity. For our first period Romi and Breanna led an awesome bracelet making class. Theo and Jahlil taught our campers how to play Ultimate Frisbee (and how to throw and catch this strange plastic circular thing) and David and Arielle ran a Pirate Themed Class where campers ran around acting like Pirates. For the second period Jahlil and Celeste led a spectacular Kickball class that was similar to a local favorite called Run Dodge, Arielle and David ran a makeup class, Sarah and Lila ran Freeze Dance. The LGA was a huge game of capture the flag. The day was really successful and we are looking forward to the rest of the week. After camp we ate lunch and hit Indian Bay beach to cool off and chat about how things went!!
Rather than telling you what our students have been doing we decided to give them an opportunity to tell you themselves. So here are some digital postcards from our group members. The mail system here is ridiculously slow and takes about 3 weeks in between here and the US so this should be a nice little treat!!!
Sarah ‘Gax’ McFadden:
Dear Mommy, Daddy, and Nate,
I love you and I’m having a great time here-I especially loved hanging out with all the adorable kids! I learned that surprisingly I find hiking quite rewarding. I’ve been keeping a positive attitude and trying to be super helpful! Hope you guys had a great time in Poland slash Dunkirk!
Love, Love, Love,
Sarah (Gax)
P.S. Say hi to Maya, Bill, Maeduff, Coco and Brady for me!
Romi ‘Peepers’ Maletz:
Hey Mom, Adam, Ali and Taya,
Whats fo shizzle dizzle? How was Holland? I hope you guys are having fun without me. Don’t miss me too much since I’m the seed of the family. Everything is great here. Yesterday we started Camp and its going really well. I’ve learned a lot about the different people here. Mom, I miss your cooking so I tried to make it for the group but yours is still better. I miss you a lot and can’t wait to see you.
Love,
Romi
Lila ‘Lilooparangastampala’ Rosenman:
Dear Mom, Dad, and Max,
It’s great here! I love the island life and culture. Camp started yesterday and today I taught running games which went great. The Caribbean Sea is AMAZING! I’ve learned a lot and I contributed to the group last Sunday by making veggie lasagna. Have a great time in Maine and give Grandma a kiss for me!
Love,
Lila
Breanna ‘Bruggles’ Page,
Dear Family and Friends,
Hey guys, I miss you so much. I loved climbing the volcano [La Soufriere, the highest point in St Vincent at 3,864 ft] because it was so pretty up there. I learned that I am a lot more patient than I thought and I also learned to bake macaroni pie. I know this is going to amaze you mom but I actually folded clothes [the whole groups] and it wasn’t just mine.
Love you guys and can’t wait to see you,
Breanna
Theolonius ‘Grizzly’ Klein:
Hi,
Everything is nice here. The ocean is blue and clear. I learned about the culture here and everyone is really friendly. I bought three new net vests. Teaching kids at camp is very fun. Today I taught croquet, and yesterday I taught Ultimate Frisbee. The kids here are really friendly. The group calls me Grizzly because yesterday I was trying to catch fish with my hands. I’m still working on it. We hiked to a volcano and it was very high up. Say hi to the dogs and HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM AND WILL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Peace,
Theodore
Celeste ‘SPAGS’ Mittman:
Dear Moms and Nads,
I miss yah lots. It’s nice here. I love going to the beach every day and I am IN LOVE with the ocean. I’ve been reading a lot and I learned to entertain myself with the lack of BBM [Blackberry Messaging J] I’ve been helping a lot with camp planning stuff. Don’t miss me too much because I’ll be back soon J (Colon Parentheses)
I love you,
Celeste
P.S. we do yoga every day moms
Jahlil ‘Jahsillly’ Davis-Green,
Hey anyone who knows and loves me,
Just want to let you know that I’m loving it in St. Vincent. I’ve done so many things in my time here including climbing to the top of La Soufriere and helped to set a good pace for the group. There is so much more that I could talk about but I’ll just sum this up by saying ‘don’t worry about me’ because I am feeling great!
Jahlil
David ‘Buoy’ Kahn:
Dear Mom, Dad, Andrew, and Lydia,
I’ve been having such an exciting time here in the Caribbean. The culture here is so different than what I expected. I learned that the Island is less strict than in America and I like the people. I like the people on this island because they are extremely kind. At camp, I taught Pirate-themed games where we played games and ran around acting like Pirates. I also taught Gladiator Art where we tried to fill up balloons with paint and drop them from a height onto paper. The little girl next door calls me “Stinky Foot”….I’m having a lot of fun.
Love,
David
Arielle ‘Surefy’ Vallet,
Hey Mom, Dad, and Mia,
I’m having an amazing time here. We have done some really cool things such as making a camp, going to the Caribbean Sea, hiking a volcano, going to a rockin’ party called J’Ouvert, and so much more. I learned how to work with kids (especially young ones) and I love kids now. My biggest accomplishment so far was singing in church all by myself. I love you guys and miss you all!!! BYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
Love,
Arielle (Erfy) ha ha my nickname here
Wednesday was a full day of camp planning (with some meals and breaks mixed in). The kids did an awesome job organizing the camp activities and schedule and started designing the classes that they wanted to teach. The group organized a community capture the flag game at Antwine Level (our future camp location) and taught several locals how to play. The Red team claims to have won.
Thursday we headed up the Leeward side of the island. First, we visited Wallilabou beach, where the movie, Pirates of the Caribbean was filmed! Much of the set is open for display, unfortunately Captain Jack Sparrow was nowhere to be found, but students sure got to experience Movie Magic first hand! We then headed up to Dark View falls with two of our local friends Amora and Somora. There are two beautiful waterfalls at Dark View (both about 80 feet high) and set in a lush rainforest. Students got to swim in both waterfalls and get a great water massage while standing underneath the falls! For dinner, we were all invited at Amora & Somora’s house in Barraoulie and were treated for a large, delicious, Vincy-style dinner. Most students said that this meal was their favorite of the trip so far! After dinner, we went down to the dock where many locals hang out and watch the sunset, what an experience!
Friday was camp planning and shopping day! Students were given a budget for camp supplies and hit the streets of Kingstown in search of glitter, sports balls, and water balloons. We ate a WONDERFUL meal at the best little restaurant in town: BICKLES! (Be sure to ask your students about all the glory that is Bickles when they return home to you!) Students were also given time to do some personal shopping where they searched for string vests, rasta flip flops and local crafts. It was beach time again (this group LOVES the beach!) before heading back to the Cupids house to make phone calls home and cook a delicious meal of cheesy pasta & broccoli!
Saturday was a very meaningful day for the group…..we conquered La Soufriere volcano!!!! (2nd highest peak in all of the Caribbean) Jahlil, Theo & Breanna helped to set an awesome pace for the group and we hiked to the top in record time. Many students didn’t think they would be able to handle the hike, but were so proud of themselves when we made it! We had a group “jelly roll” hug at the top of the crater to celebrate our success. We took our time hiking down the volcano and paused for awhile on some flat rocks to chat & play some silly games. We think everyone got a bit of a sugar high from all the gorp we made…because it wasn’t long before Theo and Celeste were “monkey bowling” and others seemed to be lost in delirium (in a good way!) After the hike we went to take a shower at our favorite spot…..the beach. The waves were big and spirits were high as we finished out our challenging day getting tossed around in the waves at Black Point beach.
Sunday was another “Maslow’s day” and we took our time getting up before church from 10:30 to 12:30. The highlight of our second local church experience was when Arielle got up in front of the entire church community. She sang the song ‘Hallelujah’ and amazed the community with her powerful voice and emotional rendition of this classic song. We were all very proud. After church we made a delicious brunch of French Toast, Omelettes and fruit. The group took the initiative to do a super clean-up during the afternoon to make sure that our stay in the Cupids home is as low-impact as possible. The rest of the day was spent putting the finishing touches on Camp Planning!! For dinner Lila prepared an incredible veggie lasagna with eggplant, mushrooms, and onions.
Monday, the FIRST DAY OF CAMP!!! We got up super early (6am) and had our morning meditation and yoga practice before heading up to Antwine Level where we are running our camp. Antwine Level is a huge playing field with concrete bleachers to provide a little shade from the intense Caribbean Sun. Camp was supposed to begin at 8:30 but we are working on Caribbean time here…kids trickled in for a while and Theo and David played football with them on the field while Romi and Celeste drew with other kids. At about 9am kids started pouring into Camp…we think there were about 80 kids the first day, double the number we expected (looks like our students did some serious advertising). Camp was organized into 3 class periods, the last period being a LGA (large group activity) and the first 2 periods have 3 options each, 1 Sport, 1 arts and crafts, and 1 fun n’ games activity. For our first period Romi and Breanna led an awesome bracelet making class. Theo and Jahlil taught our campers how to play Ultimate Frisbee (and how to throw and catch this strange plastic circular thing) and David and Arielle ran a Pirate Themed Class where campers ran around acting like Pirates. For the second period Jahlil and Celeste led a spectacular Kickball class that was similar to a local favorite called Run Dodge, Arielle and David ran a makeup class, Sarah and Lila ran Freeze Dance. The LGA was a huge game of capture the flag. The day was really successful and we are looking forward to the rest of the week. After camp we ate lunch and hit Indian Bay beach to cool off and chat about how things went!!
Rather than telling you what our students have been doing we decided to give them an opportunity to tell you themselves. So here are some digital postcards from our group members. The mail system here is ridiculously slow and takes about 3 weeks in between here and the US so this should be a nice little treat!!!
Sarah ‘Gax’ McFadden:
Dear Mommy, Daddy, and Nate,
I love you and I’m having a great time here-I especially loved hanging out with all the adorable kids! I learned that surprisingly I find hiking quite rewarding. I’ve been keeping a positive attitude and trying to be super helpful! Hope you guys had a great time in Poland slash Dunkirk!
Love, Love, Love,
Sarah (Gax)
P.S. Say hi to Maya, Bill, Maeduff, Coco and Brady for me!
Romi ‘Peepers’ Maletz:
Hey Mom, Adam, Ali and Taya,
Whats fo shizzle dizzle? How was Holland? I hope you guys are having fun without me. Don’t miss me too much since I’m the seed of the family. Everything is great here. Yesterday we started Camp and its going really well. I’ve learned a lot about the different people here. Mom, I miss your cooking so I tried to make it for the group but yours is still better. I miss you a lot and can’t wait to see you.
Love,
Romi
Lila ‘Lilooparangastampala’ Rosenman:
Dear Mom, Dad, and Max,
It’s great here! I love the island life and culture. Camp started yesterday and today I taught running games which went great. The Caribbean Sea is AMAZING! I’ve learned a lot and I contributed to the group last Sunday by making veggie lasagna. Have a great time in Maine and give Grandma a kiss for me!
Love,
Lila
Breanna ‘Bruggles’ Page,
Dear Family and Friends,
Hey guys, I miss you so much. I loved climbing the volcano [La Soufriere, the highest point in St Vincent at 3,864 ft] because it was so pretty up there. I learned that I am a lot more patient than I thought and I also learned to bake macaroni pie. I know this is going to amaze you mom but I actually folded clothes [the whole groups] and it wasn’t just mine.
Love you guys and can’t wait to see you,
Breanna
Theolonius ‘Grizzly’ Klein:
Hi,
Everything is nice here. The ocean is blue and clear. I learned about the culture here and everyone is really friendly. I bought three new net vests. Teaching kids at camp is very fun. Today I taught croquet, and yesterday I taught Ultimate Frisbee. The kids here are really friendly. The group calls me Grizzly because yesterday I was trying to catch fish with my hands. I’m still working on it. We hiked to a volcano and it was very high up. Say hi to the dogs and HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM AND WILL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Peace,
Theodore
Celeste ‘SPAGS’ Mittman:
Dear Moms and Nads,
I miss yah lots. It’s nice here. I love going to the beach every day and I am IN LOVE with the ocean. I’ve been reading a lot and I learned to entertain myself with the lack of BBM [Blackberry Messaging J] I’ve been helping a lot with camp planning stuff. Don’t miss me too much because I’ll be back soon J (Colon Parentheses)
I love you,
Celeste
P.S. we do yoga every day moms
Jahlil ‘Jahsillly’ Davis-Green,
Hey anyone who knows and loves me,
Just want to let you know that I’m loving it in St. Vincent. I’ve done so many things in my time here including climbing to the top of La Soufriere and helped to set a good pace for the group. There is so much more that I could talk about but I’ll just sum this up by saying ‘don’t worry about me’ because I am feeling great!
Jahlil
David ‘Buoy’ Kahn:
Dear Mom, Dad, Andrew, and Lydia,
I’ve been having such an exciting time here in the Caribbean. The culture here is so different than what I expected. I learned that the Island is less strict than in America and I like the people. I like the people on this island because they are extremely kind. At camp, I taught Pirate-themed games where we played games and ran around acting like Pirates. I also taught Gladiator Art where we tried to fill up balloons with paint and drop them from a height onto paper. The little girl next door calls me “Stinky Foot”….I’m having a lot of fun.
Love,
David
Arielle ‘Surefy’ Vallet,
Hey Mom, Dad, and Mia,
I’m having an amazing time here. We have done some really cool things such as making a camp, going to the Caribbean Sea, hiking a volcano, going to a rockin’ party called J’Ouvert, and so much more. I learned how to work with kids (especially young ones) and I love kids now. My biggest accomplishment so far was singing in church all by myself. I love you guys and miss you all!!! BYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
Love,
Arielle (Erfy) ha ha my nickname here
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
